The European Imperial And Colonial Influence On Nigeria

The European imperial and colonial influence on Nigeria was tremendous and ended up hurting the tribal traditions in the area. This is evident in books like Things Fall Apart and Death of a King’s Horseman where the traditions of the tribes were weakened by the through the British rules and laws. For example, in Death of a King’s Horseman, the play opens on Elesin needing to commit suicide based on the tribal traditions. However, the British official in the area viewed it as a barbaric and primitive practice that is against the rules of the British Empire. Due to this there was a fight between the two cultures with maleness being one of the cornerstones of the Nigerian society being criticized through this struggle. In Things Fall†¦show more content†¦He married three women, which was more than his father and had enough food for all of wives and children to never go hungry. He was so prominent in his society that an orphaned boy, Ikemefuna, was given to Okonkwo to raise. The people of his village revered Okonkwo’s accomplishments due to his masculinity and maleness being the cause of those achievements. Maleness in the Igbo society was power and leadership, both of which Okonkwo possessed. Unoka was a joke in his society due to his effeminate nature, but Okonkwo was viewed as a champion in his due to his masculine nature. Due to the traditional view of maleness in the Igbo society, Okonkwo often did not express his feelings in order to not appear weak. He never told his daughter, Ezinma, that he appreciated her understanding of her father’s actions. However, this desire to not appear also causes Okonkwo to act rashly. This is evident when he hits one of his wives during the week of peace and in the end of the play when he wants to start a war against the British. Due to Okonkwo’s obsession with fitting into the traditional view of maleness, he is unable to adapt with the changing society when the English invade and ki lls himself. Okonkwo’s eldest son, Nwoye, is an example of the changing concept of maleness in the Igbo society. Nwoye was not like his father and actually disapproved of some of the rules in his society. For example, whenShow MoreRelatedDecolonization Of The Economic And Political Relations Between The Colonies And Their Colonizers1710 Words   |  7 Pagesstrong ties with the same European powers involved in colonizing. However, concern for the supposed communist expansion and the domino effect that would ensue made it so that the United States had to involve itself in decolonization. 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